ST. LOUIS (Azat TV) – The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department canceled a regional Amber Alert early Monday morning after investigators determined that an emergency report regarding a stolen vehicle with a one-year-old boy inside was entirely unfounded.
The alert was originally broadcast late Sunday night after authorities received a report stating that a blue Dodge Charger had been stolen while a toddler was still seated inside. The emergency broadcast prompted an immediate law enforcement search across the metropolitan area, utilizing standard child abduction response protocols to track down the vehicle and secure the safety of the child.
According to updates provided by police, detectives investigating the scene determined around 2:45 a.m. on Monday that the initial report provided to law enforcement was false. Investigators confirmed that the one-year-old boy was safe and had never been inside the vehicle at the time it was taken.
Despite the false child abduction report, law enforcement officers continued tracking the stolen vehicle itself. Police confirmed that the blue Dodge Charger was subsequently located in neighboring St. Charles County. Shortly before 2:00 a.m. on Monday, officers took a suspect into custody in connection with the incident.
In the initial broadcast sent out to the public, the Amber Alert listed Joseph Nickell as the primary suspect. St. Louis police have not officially confirmed whether Nickell was the specific individual taken into custody during the early morning arrest or what charges may be filed regarding the false abduction statement.